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They say the strongest business is a business created out of passion. In today’s economy, every successful small-business owner and entrepreneur must have a passion that drives them forward – a core belief that keeps them pressing on no matter what they face. It is that passion that creates your drive, ambition and the love of what you do and who you serve, it also provides you with a very special view of the world that often keeps you going despite the difficulties your business might face. This is the story of 2 primary school friends who kept in touch throughout their lives because they kept that passion for their friendship, that eventually brought them together to create one of the fastest-growing customer-focused businesses in Plymouth.
Jason Peek and Ben Stanbury have been friends long before they can remember. From as early as 4 years old they can remember playing in each other’s family gardens, sleepovers, primary school and secondary school were all shared in the early part of their lives. That was until Jason decided to join the Royal Navy in early 2006. Both kept in touch where possible however both unknowingly pursued exactly the same careers as Marine Engineers, this is what undoubtedly brought them back together one day.
After Jason left the Navy in 2011 he started a career working in the oil and shipping industry still as a Marine Engineer, in the meantime, Ben had been working as a Marine Engineer on local harbour boats in Plymouth. One day after bumping into each other one evening Jason suggested his lifelong friend Ben join him for a career in the shipping industry, Ben was looking for a new challenge so this is exactly what he did.
The two travelled all over the world together, sometimes months at a time in the shipping industry, they were briefly separated before meeting again by chance during a training course in Abu Dhabi. At the time life was good but they both agreed although the money and the travel were very appealing, the long time away had its downsides. It was after both of their wives became pregnant around the same time in 2016 they soon realised that time apart from their families was no longer what they wanted in life. This is when they started to plan to go into business together where they could be around their families back in the UK.
“We came back from offshore because the money doesn’t outway family life”. Said Jason.
After just weeks of preparation, Jason and Ben set up PS Handyman in 2016. To start with this was just part-time fitting jobs around their careers, however, due to their passion and service for the job not long after they became full time at PSH in January 2017. With the equal drive and passion from both partners, success came quickly and within just 12 months they decided they wanted to push themselves further so they set up Plymouth Property Maintenance in February 2018.
The Plymouth based property maintenance and handyman business were very different from the marine engineering careers they once had. Instead, they provided professional maintenance service for both private and commercial clients including landlords, letting agents and homeowners. But why such a drastic career change?
“It was more of a hobby doing the property maintenance job, we enjoyed it, there was never a day where we didn’t go to work and didn’t enjoy it.” Said Jason.
And so through hard work, planning and determination both Jason & Ben successfully managed to build a customer-focused business that they enjoy doing and have a passion for each day of their lives. Their ethos is all about giving the very best level of workmanship and fantastic customer service. Resulting in high quality finished results the team are proud of, but most importantly exceeds the customers’ expectations time and time again.
“We offer good customer service, we are 100% honest with the customer and our communication is different to anyone else.” Said Ben.
Customer service is at the centre of what they do. Their communication really is like no other. They know customer service makes all the difference, not just in property maintenance but in everyday life, so they want their service to be an enjoyable one their clients remember.
“We don’t want clients to hesitate to pick up the phone, if there is a fault or something we have done to cause an issue, we will come out as soon as reasonably possible to repair it for free.” Said Jason
Not like many other businesses who offer a 3-month guarantee, they offer a 12-month guarantee on their services because they know they are confident their service will last and if there is a problem, they will make sure they fix it within a matter of days. This is great to hear as we all know how stressful it can be when you find out a faulty product is not under warranty!
Directors Ben and Jason
The guys at Plymouth Property Maintenance really do care about the finish of their work which is really important when you want your kitchen or bathroom to be looking its best. They said there is nothing worse when the finished product isn’t looking 100% perfect. They always exceed expectations when it comes to property maintenance.
“We give enough time on the job to make sure nothing is rushed. It is the quality of work and the friendly service. All of our guys are nice people.” Said Ben.
When it comes to health and safety Jason and Ben take the utmost care when it comes to their employees and clients; issuing everyone masks and gloves. They also ask the customers if they are happy for them to come inside because they respect people’s boundaries and want them to feel completely safe and comfortable.
During the lockdown, they also only booked work from the end of May to mid/end July and only took on outside work and empty properties. So they took on a lot of decking, patio and fencing jobs.After lockdown they were faced with 52 jobs to organise, proving themselves to be very popular! They even had to hire two more employees which goes to show that their business is going from strength to strength.
The guys at Plymouth Property Maintenance never stopped thinking and planning during lockdown as it is their passion and they really do love what they do. If anything, the lockdown allowed them time to reflect on their business, be more cost-efficient with expenses and think about where they saw themselves in the years that followed. They even had weekly zoom quizzes with their staff and always kept them updated because that is what they believe in; great communication. Setting up their own office and progressing onto more extensive and complex work like loft conversions are some of the next big steps to reaching this promising goal.
“We want to be that one-stop-shop in the South West where people are confident just to ring us and we will do any job they need doing.” Said Ben.
Plymouth Property Maintenance are definitely the ones to watch!
The team at Plymouth Property Maintenance are firm believers in giving back to the local community and are proud to sponsor local rugby team Plymstock Albion Oaks and newly formed The Mocking Jays Netball team. They even provide their time, skills and experience to local projects. In 2019 they supported Austin Farm Academy in providing materials and help to build the school’s new pond and wildlife area. This provided children with a safe, fun way to learn about the environment and nature and will continue to do so for years to come.
The friendly multiskilled team at ‘PPM’ offer a wide range of services for all your property maintenance requirements:
Bathroom & Kitchen Fitting • Fencing & Decking • Flooring / Tiling • Plastering
Interior / Exterior Painting & Decorating • Landlord & Letting Agency Maintenance Services
Plumbing & Heating • Boiler Replacement / Breakdown & Maintenance
Gas Safety Checks & Boiler Servicing & much more
Their work:
Contact Details:
Email: 01752 907740
Phone: contact@plymouthpropertymaintenance.co.uk
Facebook: Plymouth Property Maintenance Ltd
Instagram: @plympropmaint
